This Love is a Burning Sun
by galacticnancy
Summary: Their families were sworn enemies from the start, but when their respective heirs to the throne cross paths, is the other side truly as bad as they were raised to believe? Mericcup Fic.
1. Chapter 1

This was heaven.

Sitting atop the Crone's Tooth, tendrils of fiery red locks rustled in gentle gusts of wind as Merida looked out at the skyline of her beloved homeland. She could see so much from up here. The green terrains of land, the fruitful trees, if she squinted her eyes hard enough, she could even see the battlements of the castle.

The sun was just beginning to set, casting shadows of tangerine and crimson across the sky. Closing her eyes for a moment, Merida sucked in a deep breath before releasing it once more. This was what it meant to live. No responsibilities, expectations, or rules. She finally felt free. And even if the days where she felt this state of euphoria were few and far in-between, she could swear it was all worth it.

She was tugged from her bliss by a distressed whinny from below. Opening her eyes, she peered down at Angus, her Clydesdale horse and faithful companion on all her adventures. Her brows furrowed. "What is it Angus?!" She hollered down to him. The horse nodded his head in the direction of the sky, neighing powerfully as he reared back on his hind legs before clopping back down.

She leaned her head back, her eyes searching the sky for the cause of Angus' distress. A quiet gasp escaped her lips upon seeing a midnight black creature soaring across the sunset. She stood, squinting her eyes and held a palm above her brow to shield the blaring son from her eyes.

Upon second glance, this creature almost looked reptilian, with large wings and a long tail. Atop it's back was a human with brown armor. Her eyes widened softly. A dragon rider.

Her curiosity got the best of her, and she descended down the narrow crag as quickly as she could while still being careful. Once on the ground, she threw herself on top of Angus, jabbing his side gently with her foot. "Follow them, Angus!"

The horse reared up, galavanting a path under the shadowy figure in the sky. Merida kept her sights peeled on them, drawing her bow close to her once they begun to come to a landing in a nearby glade.

Once happening upon them, she slid down from Angus, buckling her quiver around her waist and holding her bow close to her body, she snuck behind a tree, sliding an arrow in her bow, drawing it back as she swerved out, narrowing her eyes at the two strangers. "Aye!"

She was instantly met by a deep growl from the dragon, nostrils flaring as he reared back. The masked man placed a hand on the beast's head, his dominant hand reaching over to grab the weapon at his belt. He flipped it in the air before his thumb flicked the switch up, flames emitting with ease from the sword. Shocked, Merida moved back a step, her stance still remaining in it's original strength.

"Stay back, we don't want to cause any trouble." The stranger replied, muffled slightly from the thick leather of his mask that barred them.

Merida narrowed her eyes. "I know what ye are, yer a dragon rider. A viking! You've killed hundreds of our people." She lifted her chin slightly.

The man sighed, restlessness reaching his eyes of forest green. "Look, neither me or Toothless here want to start anything. You can trust me. We've been riding all day and we just need to rest for an hour or two, then we'll be on our way."

"Ye promise?" She cocked her head slightly, looking between him and the dragon. He nodded, shutting the sword back into it's relaxed state. He outstretched an arm, offering a hand to shake as a peace offering.

Lowering her bow and arrow, she looked to his hand, then back at his mask. "Take off yer mask." She ordered.

Though reluctant, he followed her demand, keeping in mind she could shoot him in the throat at any given moment. Bending over slightly, he slid off the protectant, ruffling his hair slightly. Pulling himself back up to his regular height, he gave a sigh. "Satisfied?"

Merida's brows furrowed. This wasn't the face of a blood-thirsty Viking that pillaged and raped her people as she had heard. This was barely even a warrior. He was quite scrawny, with shaggy auburn hair and a lean face. A face of someone who seemed gentle and diplomatic. The thing that intrigued her the most however were his bright green eyes. Though worn, they held a kind nature in them that she'd never see in any man, and certainly not a Viking.

Merida was not the kind to trust strangers, it wasn't in her line of thought. Especially not the kind that came from such a background as the Vikings, or any tribe that had past trouble with the Dunbroch clan for that matter. But the man before her was different, or at least gave her that impression.

After what felt much longer than it actually was, Merida slid the arrow back into its quiver, slung her bow back over her shoulder, and grasped his hand and shook it with a firm shake. His fingers were calloused, yet somehow held her hand gently

The stranger offered a small lopsided smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes, but it was there. "You got a name?" He asked her, shifting his weight, a small creak of metal sounding. She glanced down to the source of the sound, seeing that his left foot was missing, a prosthetic in place of it, similar to her father. A small smile tugged at her lips. "Merida. And ye?"

"Hiccup." He nodded. Merida's eyes widened slightly at the name, a brow cocking up. "Hiccup? Yer parents named ye after a bodily function?"

The boy laughed softly, the sound making Merida's stomach bubble, although she didn't know why. "Yeah, people on Berk tend to have a running gag on naming their spawn after interesting things."

Merida smiled brightly. "Well, we like interesting here."

The two shared smiles before hearing a warbling groan from the dragon behind him. Hiccup turned around, chuckling. "Oh, this is Toothless." He introduced, scratching under his chin. "And he's probably hungry, aren't you, bud?" He asked him, to which he nodded.

"Hungry, eh?" An idea sprouted into Merida's head. "Does he eat fish?" Hiccup nodded, to which a grin spread on Merida's features. "Follow me."


	2. Chapter 2

**author's note: hey! i'm so happy that you guys are enjoying this story! in all honesty i wasn't sure if there was still a fandom lmao, but from the good reviews it's encouraged me to continue with this story. so thank you so very much for your kind words! it really does mean a lot! well, without further ado, here's chapter two!**

Salmon darted in the shallow streams and glided in all different directions, carrying about their business. Merida's eyes glazed over the glimmering of scales and fins, until they finally set on a larger choice of for her quiver, she drew her arrow in the bowstring, the nock of the arrow clicking into place in the middle. With a steady aim and a sharp eye, she loosed the arrow so it strikes the fish perfectly in the and Toothless looked on, almost in awe of the princess. A soft growl came from the Night Fury's stomach, causing a husky giggle to slip it's way past Merida's lips.

Bending over, she lifted the arrow from the nook it was lodged into revealing an unlucky salmon. She tossed it with a swift swoop into Hiccup's grasp, which nearly turned to a pathetic drop. Merida smirked softly. "Viking, huh?" She teased, to which Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Oh, ha, ha-" He begun, before the redhead cut him off. "Oh, ye hush. I'm just playin' with ya, ye div." She reassured, grabbing another arrow. Hiccup gave a gentle sigh, his cheeks flushing. "Nae, can ye look for sticks n' logs ta start a fire?" The two nodded, going off to do her request.

After snatching a couple more trout, Merida made her way back over to Hiccup and Toothless, who had managed to build a makeshift fire. With just a few stray logs and a quick puff of Toothless' breath, the bundle of wood was easily engulfed in flames. Merida smiled gently, sitting on a nearby stump, taking a twig and skewering the fish, lifting it so it was just above the fire. Once slightly crispy, she slid the fish in front of Toothless, offering a smile. "There ya go, laddie." Toothless instantly gulped down the meal, licking his chops afterwards. This caused the pair to chuckle, shaking their heads at the eagerness of the dragon.

"So," The Scot began. "Why are ye here?" She pondered with interest, resting her chin into her hands. "Well, it's a bit of a long story." Hiccup raised a brow, shifting on the log he sat on, a subtle attempt to end the conversation. Merida glanced over to the sky, seeing as the sun was slowly drooping into the clouds. "Listen, yer in my land. I wanna know, an' I got time." She retorted, a playful nature seeping into her tone.

Hiccup smiled gently at that, the gesture holding the beginnings of reaching his eyes. "I'm not much of a storyteller compared to you, I bet." Merida rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. The most interestin' thing to happen in my life is I turned me mum into a bear once." Hiccup's eyes widened. "Huh? That wasn't just a fable?" Merida grinned. "Nope! Now, tell me abou'cha before I change my mind, ye bampot." She nudged his side. Hiccup raised his hands up in defense, his smile growing.

He told her of how he was traveling the neighboring islands for his last spurts of freedom before he was scheduled to be the next in line for the hefty role of Viking Chief. He told her about Toothless, and how he was the first of his people to befriend and tame dragons, and how his accomplishment led to the common domestication of dragons. For the first time in quite a long time, Merida allowed herself to simply listen. Her mother would usually chastise her for not listening or paying attention to her during lessons, and often peg her as a slacker in her education. But in this rare instance, it was different. Instead of wishing she could doze off, or swearing she'd set fire to all her books if she had to read about one more of the many techniques she had to learn in order to sit up properly, she felt so intrigued with what this _Viking_ was saying, let alone that he was a complete stranger. But somehow, she couldn't have cared less. It might've been her rebellious nature, or perhaps that Hiccup was so fascinating to her when he talked about his inventions. Good Morrigan, what kind of bum was she?

Nonetheless, the two of them talked over their roasted salmon until the sun had long descended beneath the clouds, and shrouded them both in nightfall. The thought of Elinor reprimanding her once more about not obeying her orders and worrying the whole palace to bits soon entered the lass' mind, bringing her to her feet. "I should 'prolly get on, me mum'll have my head on a platter if I'm not home soon." She offered a benign curve of the lips, nudging Angus awake with the side of her heel.

Hiccup's brows instantly furrowed at the statement, perhaps too instantly. Even Toothless' head perked up in surprise. A blush of dusty rose appeared on his freckled cheeks, and if one blinked they would've missed it. Merida didn't. "Oh, already? I didn't know you had a curfew, m'lady." He simpered, to which she scrunched her nose at him.

"I daen't, not really anyways. But I figured there's no use worryin' her. She's already been through a lot, bein' turned into a bear an' all." She teased as she mounted upon Angus. Hiccup laughed. "You need to tell me the context of that story, I'm still confused about that." Merida grinned. "All in good time, laddie. I like savin' stories for next time."

"Next time?" Hiccup asked her, standing up himself. The redhead cocked a brow. "Ye didn't think ye were gettin' rid of me that easily, were ya?" Hiccup shook his head. "No, no. I'd hate that." He gave a shy smile, to which Merida returned the gesture.

"When will our paths cross again, then?" He asked her, cocking his head to the side a bit. Merida thought for a moment before responding. "In about two weeks time." Hiccup nodded, smiling. "Until then, m'lady." "Daen't call me that." She retorted with a smirk, riding off into the darkness.

Hiccup watched her leave until the sound of Angus' clopping hooves grew fainter and fainter, soon dissipating into nothingness. He ran a hand through his hair and gave a sigh, his breath a faded cloud in the crisp air. He felt a nudge in his side and turned to Toothless, who gave him a knowing look, causing Hiccup to blush once more. "C'mon, bud. Gobber's probably missing us back at the forge." He excused, lifting himself upon Toothless, clicking his prosthetic into it's riding arrangement and placing his mask back over his face before taking off for Berk.

He couldn't help but think about her on the ride home. From her wild locks, her sapphire eyes, to her undoubting courage. Each asset invaded his mind like the plague. It didn't help that she was of Dunbroch descent. If she were Dingwall, or even MacGuffin it would've been better. But she was the daughter of Fergus, The Bear King as he was commonly referred to. If he caught his daughter with a Viking, he'd surely have his head on a wall. With all the odds against them, why was he so interested in this girl? More importantly, why was she so confident that they'd meet again without question?

 _Oh Odin, help us all._


End file.
